Ranges and Routes

Nevada High Points #110 – Lodi Hills

D. Craig Young · September 17, 2023 · Leave a Comment

**Down fold**. Limestone and dolomite folded toward vertical below the high point of the Lodi Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

Lodi VABM

6526 ft (1989 m) — 1728 ft gain

2023.03.17

Occasionally, a highpoint excursion takes me into an area where our field teams are working, and this provides a good opportunity for a closer look at the landscape surrounding our project efforts. I left home early thinking I would get to the base of the Lodi Hills – my highpoint target on the day – to cover the relatively short, easy walk above Gabbs Valley in west-central Nevada; afterward I might check in with the crews to see how things are going.

In Lahontan Valley, near Fallon Naval Air Station, I came across a well-established rookery of Great Blue Herons, waking up to morning light as the first jets rumble away from the runways nearby. There is some courtship going on, while others are already nested up and awaiting an early brood.

**Heron hotel**. Early morning roost, a place these birds of used for years, Blue Heron, Lahontan Valley, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

I ventured southward into Gabbs Valley, turning east on the broad alluvial fan that emanates from the Lodi Hills. A good dirt road took me to the base of a shallow canyon below Victory Mine, where prospects and other mining-works mark the hillslopes to the east. I left the rig to walk a two-track road northward, climbing gradually along a sand-covered fan (Qa1). The ramping sand thickens to a sand sheet (Qd1) that has formed on the leeward side of an incised gully that cuts deeply into the fan. The gully exposes a planar surface where the alluvium (Qa2) rests on an underlying, beveled surface of volcanic bedrock, the foundation of the west-facing slopes of the Lodi Hills. The exposure of the canyon wall is a nice example of how proximal fans form on older surfaces along the mountain front.

**Curving away**. A drainage cuts through a broad alluvial fan exposing the beveled pediment at the base of the Lodi Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

**Bevels**. An alluvial fan of gravel and sand extends across beveled bedrock at the base of the Lodi Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

I turned eastward to climb a broad, sand-covered slope. It is difficult to map these landforms. It is your basic hillslope supported by the ancient bedrock of this segment of the Lodi Hills. So we could map it as dolomite or limestone hillslope (geologists show this on their maps), but the sand sheet (Qd1) is prominent in places, protected behind low outcrops and falling along the leeward side of deeper gullies leading to a broad canyon. I am not overly interested in the bedrock structures, though I enjoy walking through them. I focus on recent, or Holocene-age, landforms generally, so I tend to highlight the younger sand, wondering about its origin and overall mobility. As I move upward and eastward I come to what I think is evidence of the Paradise Thrust fault where older Triassic limestone has pushed eastward and up over younger, Jurassic limestones. The rock units change color, and a few areas so more conglomerate, old debris flows where rock clasts are cemented together, unlike the nearby smooth and fine-textured remnants of older ocean beds. But the thrust change could be further west, I am just not sure about this bedrock, the limestones are so similar.

**The thrust**. Gradually inclined beds of the Paradise Thrust lead toward the folds and outcrops of the high point ridge, Lodi Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

**Platform**. Traces of mining in the folds of the Lodi Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

**Tins as tags**. A mining claim in the canyons of the Lodi Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

I find some prospects where the slope steepens into a summit ridge. I had avoided hiking the two-track road to the prospects in favor of the nearby ridgeline. These historic-era features are interesting, but I need to keep moving. I climbed upward to the ridge where the rocks get interesting, even in a range as isolated as the Lodi Hills. I could see the tilted and lifted bedrock forming the foundation of the summit and enjoyed the wandering ridgeline until I finally reached the summit.

I watched a small herd of deer wandering the steep-sided gullies below the summit. I do not think they ever saw me. The summit is a cluster of bounders with a generous view in every direction – a worthwhile effort in the relatively low hills.

**Followers**. Mule deer traversing the slopes below the high point, Lodi Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

**Nearing the top**. Exploring the light on the high point ridge, Lodi Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

**Verticals**. A seabed emerges from the folds of the Lodi Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

I did not have much time to linger as I was still looking to meet our crew in the valley below. Nevertheless, I took my time, wandering a more southerly set of ridges and slopes to find another sand-filled gully to reach the truck. Glad to spend a day in the hills once again.

Keep going.

Please respect the natural and cultural resources of our public lands. #naturefirst #keepgoing

Nevada High Points #109 – General Thomas Hills

D. Craig Young · July 24, 2023 · Leave a Comment

**Dust up**. Dust rises from the basin floor of Clayton Valley, from the highpoint of the General Thomas Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

Peak 6677

6677 ft (1989 m) — 1450 ft gain

2023.02.12

The winter snows seem endless, the foothills of the Carson Range releasing the cold moisture from the lake effect that streams out of the Tahoe Basin. The Sierra snowpack is trending toward record depths, and we benefit from the overflow that has been prevalent this season. It does not look to be letting up as the atmospheric rivers remain productive. It means, however, that I must head farther south to find dry ground to explore. So, I am out early on Sunday morning – still a Second Friday weekend – and headed toward Tonopah where dirt will lead me into the General Thomas Hills, an easy-day outing.

I have lately developed a mindset, once I begin walking, that the summit is the ‘only’ goal, moving up and down with basically that purpose, hoping only secondarily that some photo opportunities might present themselves. Over the next few posts, realigning the experience and communication, I hope to introduce an emphasis on the physical geography of routes I take to reach each highpoint. Photography will remain a key component of each excursion, but I will also focus on describing the landforms I encounter, mapping and describing how and when they might have formed. You will find a new map with each post highlighting the Quaternary (2.2 million years and younger) landforms along with a few other features-of-interest to add to the story (hopefully). I do not do rocks; other than a few recent lavas from relatively isolated volcanic centers, there are not many rock-forming processes in the ‘recent’ past. I am fascinated by the natural weathering that changes rock to sediment and the processes that rearrange that sediment to form landscapes. We will be looking at alluvial fans, dunes, floodplains, and lakes – those extinct and, sadly, those becoming so – among other things, and, hopefully, making some informed guesses at how environment and process, past and present, influenced their arrangement. My hope is to develop, over time, a dictionary of Quaternary landforms for the Great Basin, adding detail to the vast ‘yellow’ space on most geological maps. This starts, of course, with a walk – camera at the ready – to get our feet and eyes onto the landforms.

*Informal geologic map of recent landforms of the General Thomas Hills, NV*

The General Thomas Hills rise west of Montezuma Valley with its vast alluvial basin floor leading toward the modern playa of Alkali Lake. The hills are not prominent, but they are separated from nearby (and higher) ranges of the Weepah Hills and Lone Mountain by the broad trench of Paymaster Canyon – we will get those soon. Looking back, we were here a month ago to explore the highpoint of Paymaster Ridge to the south.

**Hillscape**. Outcrops of Montezuma Valley below the General Thomas Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

**Weepah**. Weepah Hills rise beyond Paymaster Canyon, General Thomas Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA

While the uplift that formed the hills occurred relatively recently, the rocks we traverse are very old. I park along the Paymaster Canyon Road to look up at easy rolling hills with talus and low rimrock outcrops of intrusive Triassic or Jurassic rocks, easily over 100 million years old. When these rocks were deeply buried, deep movements pushed and folded even older rocks over the top of the Triassic rocks, creating a thrust fault. These Cambrian rocks (>400 million years old!) outcrop close to the summit, referring to a regional geological map (as I have said, I am not so good with rocks), so we walk back in time as we walk up the hills.

This time travel is true across any basin floor throughout the Great Basin. The young landforms are at the valley bottom or forming skirts and aprons at the valley margins, the outcrops of the mountains and hills reveal the old stuff. Here, just off the Paymaster Canyon Road, I walk into an active wash – dry most of the time – that cuts at the ends of relict alluvial fans forming the base of the General Thomas Hills. The wash (Qfp2) shows braided channels formed in flashy storm events when all drainage below Paymaster Pass focuses here; the road follows the drainage and clearly requires common maintenance to prevent it from capturing too much streamflow.

Above a low terrace riser, I walk onto the younger (Qal2) of two sets of dissected alluvial fans that emanate from gullies and rills cutting into hillslopes above. As extensional faulting lifts the older rocks to form the hillslopes, weathering and gravity take over; the hills shed sediment toward the basin floor. Driven by water and pulled by gravity the sediments debouch from the confinement of narrow gullies to spread in conical fans that bend even further basinward. When water is the dominant transport mechanism the sediment is called alluvium, so these conical landforms are alluvial fans. We are, however, in the middle of the desert – actually, the intersection of the Great Basin and Mojave deserts; there is not much water here. What water does come, it comes in high-energy pulses, but with so little input, the formation of these fans, as you might imagine, takes time.

**To the basin floor**. Alluvium of lower slopes, black sagebrush community, General Thomas Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA *(Map Point #3)*

The fan surfaces show patterns of sheetflow with small gullies and sudden debris flows, but they are mostly capped by an intricate pattern of well-sorted (about the same size) gravel. The surfaces have had time to ‘get organized’ so we can guess that these have been stable for several thousand years, at least. As I continue across the Qal2 surface, I see that the fan I am walking on cuts along the base of similar landforms to either side. This is a clear cross-cutting relationship, where the flows of one fan ate into another. We know, therefore, that the fan I am on is younger than the fan(s) it cuts into. The Qal2 is younger than the Qal1. How much younger? We do not know at this point, we would have to take a much closer look using more precise measures, but cross-cutting relationships give us a start. The fans are generally similar, so they might not be separated by more than a few thousand years, if that.

**Desert slope**. Black sagebrush community on the slopes of the General Thomas Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA *(Map Point #2)*

**Stone stripes**. Colluvial aprons on slopes of altered Triassic rocks of the General Thomas Hills, Great Basin Desert, NV, USA *(Map Point #1)*

The wind picks up as I transition from alluvial fans to bedrock slopes that steepen noticeably. Pulling on my windbreaker, I pass a deep abandoned mine adit cut into the top of the alluvial fan. Exploratory mining, especially historic-era activities, often focus on the fan transition to quickly get to the potential ore of the mountain front without too much overburden. Above the adit, gravity takes over as the driving force moving sediment, with water becoming secondary. The sediment comes in large clasts now too. This is colluvium, sediment arranged by gravity into talus cones, aprons, and stripes. I also encounter steps as low rimrocks form ridges of resistant rocks. It is easy-going to the summit ridge, and the highpoint rolls out in a relatively level tableland making it a bit of a puzzle finding which little rock cluster hides the summit register. The wind is now piercing and cold; although the views are nice, I will not linger.

Dust rises from Clayton Valley to the southwest, where dunes race in two directions. Today, after the storm, they are likely moving south (the dust sure is!); before the storms the prevailing winds drive them north. The mosaic of evaporative mines on the basin floor adds to the airborne sediment load. These are aeolian processes, wind-driven rearrangement, where gravity is once again secondary. Water is important too, but we will visit that another time – the dunes and desert loess of Clayton Valley are distant, and I have some driving to do. It is time to head down, retreating through time, from the ancient bedrock, through the fans of yesterday, and the sandy washes of today.

We have a lot to learn from the smallest of hills. I hope you enjoyed our journey – and renewed focus – through a few of the landforms of the General Thomas Hills; I clearly did not take enough photographs today. The cold wind reminds me that I have snow to return to, and, likely, a driveway to shovel.

Keep going.

Nevada High Points #108 – Goldfield Hills

D. Craig Young · March 14, 2023 · Leave a Comment

**Mud Lake distance**. The playa of Mud Lake is the northern backdrop of the Goldfield Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

Cole VABM

6862 ft (2092 m) – 1438 ft gain

2023.01.14

Goldfield Hills Image Collection

Sitting at dinner in Beatty, after our nice afternoon in the Bullfrog Hills, Darren and I decided we would explore another small range on our drive home. The Goldfield Hills are a jumble of irregular hills around the mining town of – of course – Goldfield, Nevada. Mine tailings, head frames, and shacks mingle around prospects, some active, most not.

The thing about mining towns, those from the historic-era and otherwise, is that they are crisscrossed by a maze of roads. We turned off Hwy 95 on the margin of town and headed into the predawn among the Joshua Trees and tailings piles of all sizes. I had the high point coordinates in my dashboard Garmin with a background of topo maps; still, I took a wrong turn following a well-used road and missed the lesser track among the beaten down two-tracks. It was indeed a maze. We got it straight and worked our way to the base of Cole. Although it is not an impressive sight, the light of the early morning peaking from the east made it look worthy of a good walk.

**Joshua Trees at sunrise**. Goldfield Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Dry approach**. South-facing slopes of Cole, Goldfield Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

We climbed a sparse ramp on south-facing slopes to gain a rocky ridge. For the first time we could see the great views that the high point provided; we had been somewhat sheltered in the mine-strewn hills only to crest above it all as we approached the summit. A false cairn, maybe an old mining claim, rested on a southerly summit, tricking us briefly. We found a low rock stack protecting the summit register a quarter mile further north. A cold wind picked up as the sun played in-and-out amongst some low-slung clouds. We had walked for less than an hour, but these small hills remain well worth it. Surprising us as usual.

**We’re there**. Signing the summit register at Cole VABM, Goldfield Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

The summit ridge continues north and curves gradually west to form a crescent with a west-facing opening above a steep canyon that drops to quickly to the wash below. We descended the northwestern limb following steep steps to a low pass. The sun opened up nicely, but the wind kept any warmth away. We did not have far to go, however, as we wandered among tall Joshua Trees before entering a wash that led to the truck.

Goldfield Hills Image Collection

It was quick walk, basically a short detour on our way home. I have written many times that even short excursions to small hills are worth any detour necessary. Cole VABM at the top of the Goldfield Hills is no exception.

Keep going.

Nevada High Points #107 – Bullfrog Hills

D. Craig Young · February 19, 2023 · 2 Comments

Sawtooth Mountain

6005 ft (1830 m) — 1438 ft gain

2023.01.13

Bullfrog Hills Image Collection

**Towers**. The unimposing high point of the Sawtooth Mountain hides beyond communication towers at the summit, Bullfrog Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

I have been turned away twice from Sawtooth Mountain, the high point of the Bullfrog Hills near Beatty, Nevada. Dressed in a crown of radio towers, the Bullfrogs do not seem a formidable obstacle; there is even a road heading up their western side. They are, however, a bit of a puzzle.

My first try occurred in 2014 while I was in Beatty for a project on the Nevada Test Range, mapping a set of archaeological sites on the fans below Black Mountain. Trail running was my focus at the time, longer trail runs having diverted my attention from high points, and my run on that evening took me to the west side of the Bullfrogs. I followed the dirt road to the radio towers; elevation gain still a common goal of any outing. I had already decided, however, that I would run to the high point, my attention to summits remained unflagging. I found a ragged, rocky summit ridge with steep clefts and cracks carving the granitic block into the sawtooth of its name. As it grew dark, I tried to find a break in the cliffs. I could not, however, find a way to the top without some serious exposure, not something I would risk on a solo outing.

McLane only mentions one ‘Class 5’ summit in his review of ranges. Indeed, until now I could confirm that – I have been to the base of that summit block at Jumbo Peak in far southern Nevada, where the solo risk also turned me away, but he did not mention anything difficult about the Bullfrog Hills. I returned for a second try the following evening, but again the late-season darkness prevented me from a complete circle of the summit ridge. I did not make the top. Fooled again.

**Beatty to Bare**. Bare Mountain rises above the town of Beatty, Bullfrog Hills, NV, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Tuff**. Volcanic rocks at last light, Bullfrog Hills, NV, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

So here I was, eight years later for another try. Darren was with me, and we a few pieces of climbing gear just in case. I reviewed my memory of previous visits as we walked the road to the towers – not a compelling approach, but I had been here a few times, of course; the pleasant feeling of exploration was lost. I retraced my past steps below the summit outcrop, introducing Darren to the puzzle. Deciding it best to make a complete circle of the outcrops before taking out any gear, we stashed our packs and set out in opposite directions.

The cliffs rise from steep colluvial slopes with stone stripes and talus cones. Interesting alcoves undercut the outcrops and leaning boulders harbor sandy gardens of desert plants. Moving further east and north along the ridge than I had previously, I tried a few benches that followed seams and breaks in the bedrock. Each one terminated in an interesting but overly steep crack or overhang. Was it really this difficult? My technical rock-climbing days are long behind me, and I was not sure I really wanted to give that a go. And I had not seen Darren in a while.

**Navigation**. Darren finds his way between summit boulders, Bullfrog Hills, NV, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

I finally found a faint but safe ledge that led to the northern base of the summit ridge. The views were great in all directions. I could see easy slopes below me but nothing breaking the wall above me from where I now stood. As I turned back, I saw I could take two high steps to access a narrow ledge and, with a couple other moderate steps, I was walking an easy ramp with nice exposure to the summit – not difficult at all, just needed to find the key.

**The key**. Darren finds the easy way, Bullfrog Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

Darren was still working his way along the western cliffs, after following me on a couple dead ends on the east side. I eventually pointed him to the ‘hidden’ ramp at the north end, and we finally met on top. We had an agreeable laugh with a note in the register that read, “Finally found the easy way up.”

**Register**. Tom’s little notebook on the summit of the Bullfrog Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Summit ridge**. I felt I had earned this rocky little summit, Bullfrog Hills, NV, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

Bullfrog Hills Image Collection

I have been thinking about persistence. Good work and creativity take practice, discipline, and determined patience. These, for me, are often hard to come by. But maybe I can take something from continuing my efforts in the Bullfrog Hills. Sawtooth Mountain, their high point, is not an epic pursuit, though it has good prominence over the arid headwaters of the Amargosa River. While relatively easy in the end, it was my persistence – and renewed passion for walking among the Nevada ranges – that finally led to success.

Keep going.

**The figures**. Szukalski’s sculptures at Rawhide, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Inquiry**. Szukalski’s sculptures at Rawhide, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

Nevada High Points #106 – Paymaster Ridge

D. Craig Young · January 24, 2023 · Leave a Comment

**Canyon dune**. Sand anchored on debris-flow fan, Paymaster Ridge, Great Basin Desert, NV

Joes Peak (Peak 5956′)

5956 feet (1815 meters) — 2300 ft gain

2022.12.09

We missed a month – the move is complete, finally – but are in the Great Basin outback for December. It is another small set of hills as we head to Clayton Valley, a good winter excursion, to explore Paymaster Ridge. There is a cluster of named ranges here. In some ways the ranges are arbitrary; difficult to tell whether the named divisions are based on geologic structure, topographic prominence, or simply cartographic creativity. Paymaster is separated from the General Thomas Hills by a low pass, a topographic feature that is really a partially dissected, alluvium-choked valley forming a gap in the faulting that brings both sets of hills to some prominence. To the west, the Weepah Hills and Lone Mountain loom over these small hills, attracting our attention to future excursions.

Darren and I traverse the evaporative mines of Clayton Valley along the Silver Peak Road. This road leaves US 95 just north of Goldfield and rejoins it near Coaldale, or vice versa, and is an interesting ‘long-cut’ when traveling between Las Vegas and Carson City. Although the segment through the valley bottom is improved dirt – and unattractive unless you like mining berms, the bounding hills and ranges, along with eye-catching volcanoes, make it an interesting change from the expanse of Tonopah (you will be skipping the services of Tonopah, so plan accordingly, but it is a nice change once in a while). We turn north along the western front of Paymaster Ridge, heading north toward Twin Springs and Pearl Hot Springs, the latter of which I had planned as our start point. This semi-improved track soon turns adventurous as a series of linear dunes, anchored on the topographic change that the road provides, block any quick progress. We roll over several but then encounter some coalesced dunes and sheets and decide to park and get walking – no need for intrepid driving today. I would have liked to visit the springs, but today’s goal is upward to the east.

**Slip face**. Active dune overtakes its parent, Paymaster Ridge, Great Basin Desert, NV

**Generations**. Aeolian dune migration overtakes its sand source, Paymaster Ridge, Great Basin Desert, NV

We hike to a nice dune that has settled on the undulating topography of debris flows and rock levees that emanate from an unnamed canyon. The rippled dune is crystalline in the early light with only the tracks of a kangaroo rat as evidence of life in this dry habitat. Past the dune we enter some fabulous, vertical canyons with blind turns, chockstones, and a few dry falls. The occasional summer storm must be exciting in here. No sign of water today, and yet we are surrounded by its evidence. We pick a northeast-trending opening and gain elevation quickly, weaving among outcrops, steps, and talus-filled gullies. We are soon a faulted plateau following burro tracks toward the broad hilltop that is the highpoint of Paymaster Ridge – also known as Joes Peak.

**Wind runs**. Barchan dune-forms in Clayton Valley, Paymaster Ridge, Great Basin Desert, NV

A small cairn marks the summit. Alkali Lake, the least imaginative and over-used, however accurate, placename in the Great Basin, dominates the basin of Montezuma Valley as it stretches toward Tonopah. The White Mountains to the west are aptly named, at least once the seasonal snows come to the western Great Basin. Boundary Peak, the highest summit in Nevada, sits lost at the northern tip of the Whites – home of the ancient bristlecone pines. Here on Paymaster, however, there are only scattered shadscale shrubs among the platy shale outcrops with juniper woodlands colonizing the Weepah Hills and Lone Mountain to the north.

**Siliciosity**. Reflective tilted beds in the Paymaster Ridge, Great Basin Desert, NV

It is another blazingly clear day. I need to think differently if I am going to move beyond simple documentary photography in the stark and arid landscape we inhabit on these highpoint excursions. So, three related goals for future highpoints: 1) slow down – I am out here for the experience, so being overly summit-driven impedes creativity and learning; 2) get to highpoints earlier or later in the day, stop hoping for skies to get interesting and use the morning and evening light when it is often (subjectively) at its best; and, 3) while the expansive vistas are seductive and certainly have a dramatic, often stark, beauty, look for the small details that make each walk unique. These are not mutually exclusive, they are all generally tied to slowing down. I have noticed an obvious connection to better imagery when I camp near my chosen route, even if the route results in a fairly brief outing to the actual highpoint. I should try an occasional bivouac as part of an excursion, immersing myself in the changes the overnight brings. This might also provide opportunities for gathering and presenting other media types (planning required); so I will add that as a fourth goal. Yes, my goal for 2023 will be to slow down and reap the creative and mindful benefit of engaging deeply in the basins and ranges that are Nevada.

Paymaster Image Collection

We trace our track back into the canyons, dodging a few dry falls where steep knickpoints make for tricky downclimbing. It is early afternoon, and the temperature has not broken through the freezing mark but with no wind, the day is a pleasure. The truck sits on the sandy fan where we drop our light packs and look back at our route, now lost in the overlapping, creased stratigraphy of the west face of Paymaster Ridge. We will begin to consider our new goals as we hit the highway for our drive home.

Keep going.

Ranges and Routes

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